Learning to Feel Again
by stained-glass-shadow
Summary: Davy Jones is the merciless captain of the Flying Dutchman... Or, at least, that's what he wants everyone (including himself) to believe. Enter Arianna, the woman who is single-handedly challenging the societal normal for women in 1718. When Jones meets Arianna he is ready to kill her. But after one conversation, he isn't so sure anymore. (I don't own POTC and enjoy the story!)
1. Chapter 1

Arianna knew that the thing she saw in the water wasn't a figment of her imagination. The captain of the Atlantic, a cargo ship set to land in Port Royal, decided that the thing she saw was a figment in the 'hysterical mind of a girl, who had no business being on a ship in the first place.' Arianna chose to ignore that he called her a girl, when, in fact, she was a grown woman of twenty. She had learned early on in the voyage that the crew would give her a hard time for being a woman who wasn't following the normal code of behavior for 1718. Originally every member of the crew had "tried their luck" so to speak, initially drawn in by Arianna's bright red hair and deep blue eyes. But after learning of her completely clear courting history and need to learn everything she could about everything, the attraction gave way to merciless insults. So naturally they wouldn't listen to her claim about the octopus in the water. "But sir, it looked like a sea monster!" she had protested when the captain waved her away. "Doesn't Davy Jones control a giant octopus?"

"The Kraken and Davy Jones're both an old legend, best not to worry you're pretty lil' head about it, lass." He said with a laugh, before going below deck for some rum. Arianna stood at the bow of the ship and braced herself for whatever was going to happen. She had spent years reading and asking about the legend of Davy Jones, losing interest after hearing only repeats of the same story time and time again. The thing that surprised Arianna wasn't that the Kraken existed, but rather that it wasn't the cause of the ship sinking.

The Kraken just passed under the ship; it had been gone for a full five minutes before the ship was caught in a typhoon. Wind whipped the sails and the crew desperately tried to tie the sails so they wouldn't tear, but after one unfortunate sailor was ripped from the main sail and blown into the churning waves. There was a terrible sound as the bow of the Atlantic was cracked in several places. Arianna screamed, even against her best efforts not to. The captain was shouting orders to the crew; many of them didn't listen and instead chose to tie themselves down to the ship. Arianna lifted her head and wiped her drenched hair out of her eyes just in time to see a wall of water in front of them. The wave crashed over the ship, the full force of the wave fell on the deck, causing the wood to splinter. Arianna slipped and heard her head smack one of the cannons. She struggled to get up as her sight grew fuzzy. The sounds of the storm and other crew members grew faded as her vision blacked out and she lost conciseness completely.

Arianna was woken briefly by rough hands pull her forward. She could feel that she was soaked to the bone, but also that she was on solid wood. "Thar was only one survivor, tha rest have moved on." An unrecognizable voice said.

"Why'd ye bring aboard the lass?" a second voice rasped. "Leave 'er to the Kraken."

"We thought it'd be waste ta leave such a beauty ta tha…"

"I make the decisions on this ship ye scurvy rats!" the second voice thundered with such an intensity that Arianna would have flinched if she could move. "Get off me ship an' check the wreckage again."

"What about tha lass?"

"I'll be dealin' with the wench, now go!" the Captain (that's who Arianna decided he was) thundered. Something rough and hard took hold of her and the pain caused Arianna to faint again.

The Captain waited until his crew left the ship before picking the girl up and carrying her to his cabin. He dropped her onto a couch and just stared at her. He knew that he should kill her, but for a reason unknown to him, he couldn't bring himself to do it. So he just… stared. She looked young, with fire red hair and pale skin. Her dress, though water-logged, still held signs of a more common-class design. The girl's figure was willowy and fragile looking. Her thin hands folded gracefully over her stomach and her hair stood out brightly with the dull color of the couch. Her chest rose and fell with every steady breath she took. _I'll kill her when she wakes. _The Captain resolved. Until then she would stay in the cabin… away from the crew. With a sigh he sank into the chair across from her, there was no possibility of rest while she was in his cabin. With the decision to let the girl live another night, the Captain of the ship tried to put the girl from his mind. But one thing was certain, Captain Davy Jones should have rid himself of the girl as soon as he could.

The first thing Arianna saw when she opened her eyes was barnacle covered wood. The room where she awoke was dimly lit with candles and everything looked damp with sea water. Her eyes adjusted quickly and she assessed that she wasn't dead… or alone, in the small space. A figure sat in the chair just in front of her, and whoever it was appeared not to notice that she was awake. Arianna assumed that the figure was a man, due to his vast build. He was slumped in the chair and his hat covered his face, but what she could see of him was… odd. His skin was a greenish tan color and it looked rough and cold to the touch. One of his hands was a crab claw, and the other was made up of tentacles. One leg was a crab's leg, but it gave him the appearance of having a peg leg. Covering the front of him were many tentacles and Arianna furrowed her eyebrows at this strange man. He stirred instantly, as if he sensed himself being observed. His head rose and Arianna's eyes widened as she realized that the tentacles covering the front of his jacket was what made up his beard. His blue eyes looked stony and very small above the rest of his face. "What are you?" Arianna breathed, forgetting any ounce of politeness she had.

"Cursed." The man… creature… thing said. Arianna recognized the voice from before and quickly thought that he must have grabbed her with the crab claw.

"D-Davy Jones." Arianna stuttered as her brain returned to fully functional.

"That be Captain Jones to ye." He growled with narrowed eyes.

"You're… real." Arianna said slowly as she sat up. "And that means… I'm dead?"

"Nay." Jones said. "Ye was found amongst the wreckage."

"Do you normally kidnap living people?" Arianna asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I didn't kidnap ye!" Captain Jones yelled, the tentacles on his beard twitched in irritation. "If it weren't for me ye would be dead!"

"I was under the impression that you were keeping me so you could kill me yourself." She said boldly.

"I don't know what I'm plannin' to do with ye." Jones said. "I might kill ye, or I might release ye when we make port."

"And when would that be?"

"Oh, about nine years." The Captain said, a slightly smug look crossed his face when he saw the expression of horror that crossed Arianna's face.

"Nine years?!" Arianna sprung to her feet and yelled in disbelief.

"It be ye own fault yer stuck here!" Captain Jones yelled back. "What was a wench like ye doin' aboard a ship anyway?!"

"That is none of your business, and I have a name you know." Arianna snapped at him.

"I don't care."

"My name is Arianna." She informed him.

"I said, I don't care what ye name be!" Captain Jones shouted.

"Considering I'll be here for nine years, if I'm lucky, I assumed my name was important to know Captain." Arianna said smoothly.

"If this be a hint of the nine years, ye will not be makin' it to land lass." Captain Jones muttered darkly.

"You're the one who took me aboard in the first place." Arianna said and she was suddenly seized with the urge to make a face at him. Luckily she stopped herself before she did, the last thing she needed was for Davy Jones himself to think she was a child.

"I already regret it." Captain Jones said. Arianna realized that his voice wasn't the same as any other pirate she had encountered… on top of the normal slang of a pirate, he also had a bit of a Scottish accent, which caught her interest slightly.

"So what am I going to do aboard the Flying Dutchman for nine years?" Arianna asked.

"Stayin' put."

"What, you mean in here?!" she exclaimed, looking around the dim cabin.

"Would ye rather stay with the crew?" The Captain said with a smirk.

"No." she grumbled.

"Then ye will be stayin' put." Captain Jones ordered, his voice stony.

"You can't order me around, you aren't my Captain." Arianna muttered defiantly, hoping that Jones wouldn't hear.

Unfortunately, she was never that lucky and Captain Jones rose to his full height before yelling "As long as ye be on me ship, ye will obey orders from the Cap'n!" The tentacles that cascaded down his chin quivered in fury as he glared at Arianna. He then turned and stalked out of the room, walking slightly peculiarly because of the peg… crab leg. Arianna crossed her arms and sank back into the couch.


	2. Chapter 2

Captain Jones shut the door to his cabin, his mind still reeling from the girl's bold attitude. From what he could remember in all of his brief encounters with women, they usually weren't so outspoken. But this woman that he had rescued from the sea seemed intent on destroying everything he thought he knew about females in general. She didn't seem afraid, at least, not as afraid as everyone else who found themselves aboard the Dutchman. It took Jones a minute before he realized that he didn't kill her like he had promised himself that he would. Surprisingly, looking her in the eyes didn't make it any easier to take her life… this normally wasn't a problem for the Captain. But for some unknown reason, looking into Arianna's deep blue eyes had sort of… stopped his thoughts of killing her. Jones was sure that he would be able to throw her overboard so the Kraken could take care of her soon enough… but for now he had to focus on the crew, and his charges, the souls of those who died by the will of the sea. Hot anger flooded Jones at the thought of the duty… _she _had given him. A reward, that's what she told him it was… for loving her. She betrayed him, he did not love her! Davy Jones braced himself against the railing of the ship and looked out to the sea, where his crew was digging in the broken ship for signs of souls that needed collecting. Shaking his head, he put the girl from his mind, and focused on the ship.

A few weeks went by and Arianna nearly died of boredom. She spent most of her time wandering aimlessly around the cabin, trying to find some form of entertainment. Jones forbade her to touch anything, so she had to be careful about prying. Captain Jones himself rarely spent time in the cabin at all, and when he was there, he refused to talk to Arianna. It was befuddling to her why he wouldn't talk to her at all, she didn't do anything wrong. Arianna usually woke up from her night's rest long after Jones, so she rarely spoke to him until he returned at night. Captain Jones would walk into the cabin and right over to the pipe organ at the far end wall; Arianna knew that it was no use trying to talk to him until he was finished. Not that she would get much of a conversation out of him anyway, but at least he would be calmer. She started the "conversation" by asking how the weather was, to which Jones would reply with a grunt. Arianna would try a few more questions, which he would ignore, before she gave up and said goodnight.

The night was cold and the wind howled so loudly that Arianna could hear it inside the cabin. The ship pitched and Jones awoke with a start, slightly disoriented before he realized what was happening. "Ye do not try'an leave the cabin. Ye will be stayin' here, no matter wha' happens." He growled at Arianna, before leaving and bolting the cabin shut. Arianna brought her knees to her chest, trying to make herself as small as possible. She jumped at every crack of thunder, and she could barely hear the shouts of the crew over the wailing of the wind. One of the windows cracked and flew opened, rain pouring inside. Arianna shakily made her way over to it, managing to push the window closed again. She felt a sharp pain in her hand and she noticed that the slightly broken glass had sliced her palm. The ship tilted and Arianna fell with a shout, landing in a heap on the floor. She stayed in that position, with her arms covering her head to protect herself from falling objects. Finally the storm subsided and Jones returned to the cabin to find Arianna curled into a ball on the floor. "Lass?" he asked.

"What?" she said, her voice sounded small.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, though I don't see why you're asking. You don't bother to talk to me normally, so why start now?!" Arianna snapped.

"I am not use to ye bein' here." Jones growled. "I be not the best conversationalist anyway."

"Well it doesn't hurt to try." She snapped, her hands curling into fists. She winced at the pain that shot through the wound on her hand.

Confusion entered his ice blue eyes and he held out a tentacle expectantly. "Let me see, lass."

Arianna hesitantly placed her hand on his tentacle, trying not to squirm at the strange texture of his skin. "It is nothing." Arianna said.

"What happened?"

"The window broke a bit and I cut my hand trying to close it." She said, trying to play it off. Davy Jones gave her a look and tore a piece of cloth off his shirt and wrapped it around her hand gently.

"Ye must learn to be careful lass." Captain Jones said awkwardly, still holding her injured hand in his tentacled one. Arianna could feel the tentacles wrapping around her hand, acting like the ones of a normal octopus. She peeled them off her skin, and noticed the tiny marks they left there. Arianna moved from the floor to sit in the chair, trying to ignore the heavy silence.

It was Jones himself who ended up breaking the silence. "Lass?"

"Captain?" she said back.

"Why were ye in that ship?"

"I wanted to travel."

"An' yer family was in agreement with that?" Captain Jones asked in surprise.

"Well my mother passed away when I was young and my father raised me to believe that I could do anything that I wanted to… regardless of whether I was a woman." Arianna explained, blushing a bit as she realized just how odd this sounded.

"And ye wished to travel?" Jones asked.

"Yes, so I got on a ship and left to find an adventure." She said with a slight smile. "I suppose one found me."

"Tis hardly an adventure, lass." Captain Jones said bitterly. He walked over and sat in the chair across from her.

"Kidnapped by half men half sea creatures, who sail with the supposed "devil himself" in a ship that all sailors fear the mere sight of? I'd say that is an adventure." Arianna laughed aloud.

"How much do ye know about me?" Jones asked.

"That's for me to know and you to wonder about." She said.

This made Captain Jones quite angry, he was the _Captain_ of this ship and he wasn't going to have a woman make him look like a fool. "Dammit wench!" he roared. "Remember yer place and who ye be speakin' to!"

"Fine, you want an answer?!" Arianna yelled back. "Here it is, Captain Davy Jones fell in love with Calypso, she rewarded him with the duty of collecting souls and ferrying them to the afterlife. After ten years if they were both true to each other, Captain Jones would be released from his task and he would be able to return to shore. But when the ten years were up, and Jones was allowed back on land, Calypso wasn't there waiting for him. Fueled by rage, he told the pirate lords how to capture the sea goddess, ultimately betraying her an—"

Arianna's speech was cut short by Jones leaping to his feet and moving directly in front of her. The Captain's tentacles wrapping around her throat, and started choking her, lifting her out of her chair with the force of his grip. "I did no' betray her!" Jones yelled. "She left _me_! She betrayed _me_!" He released her from his grasp and she crumpled to the floor, coughing and trying to regain her breath.

"The heartbroken Captain ignored his duty; his punishment was alteration of his physical form. He cut his heart out, and left it in a wooden chest." Arianna continued. Jones made to leave, but her voice stopped him. "That isn't the end of the story… there are hopeful people who tell the end a different way."

"Lass, it has ended. There be no hope for me now." Captain Jones said bitterly. "Now, if ye knows what be best, ye will ne'er speak on the subject again." And with that, he left.


End file.
